India military air crash kills 13

The plane was on a routine supply mission The Indian Air Force says no one survived when one of its transport planes carrying 13 people crashed near the border with China. Rescuers found a number of bodies among the wreckage in the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, officials said. It is not clear what caused the plane to crash shortly after take-off from Mechukha, a base near the border. The AN-32 aircraft had been returning from a routine supply mission to troops serving at the frontier. Bad weather Helicopters and ground search teams had been scouring the mountainous border region since Tuesday afternoon, when contact with the plane was lost shortly after it took off from Mechukha. The search was called off on Tuesday because of bad weather, but resumed on Wednesday. The wreckage was found scattered across a hill in Arunachal Pradesh. Eastern Air Command spokesman Wing Commander Ranjib Sahu told the BBC: "It's now confirmed that the aircraft crashed and there are no survivors. Our ground searching teams have located the wreckage in a remote village - Heyoditu in Arunachal Pradesh." Those on board included the pilot, six crew and six passengers, including army personnel. Another air force spokesman said it was too early to say whether technical problems caused the crash.